The law minister said Monday that the government would formally ask Khaleda Zia this week to vacate the 9-bigha house in the Dhaka cantonment and take "legal steps" if she did not respond.

"A notice will be sent to Khaleda Zia, in line with the Cantonment Act 1924, Section 11, to leave the house," Shafiq Ahmed told reporters after a meeting with the attorney general, the cabinet secretary and the defence secretary.

"She will be requested to vacate and given a deadline," the minister said. "If she did not, then law will take its course."

The minister dismissed statement by BNP's Moudud Ahmed that the property had been leased for ever to the widow of Gen Ziaur Rahman, murdered by some military officers on May 30, 1981.

"If the (process of) allocation was illegal, then there is no question of (giving) a permanent lease," the law minister said.

He said the June 12, 1981 cabinet meeting decided to gift her a 1.5-bigha property in Gulshan.

"And she refused to take the cantonment property. It's been written in the minutes of that meeting."

On the political protests surrounding the government decision, the minister said, "The house was given to Khaleda Zia. Not to any political party or head of any political party.

"So it'd be useless trying to create a political issue out of it."

The law minister said it was unethical on part of the former prime minister to enjoy the ownership of two very expensive houses originally owned by the state.

According to one estimate, the 9-bigha mansion at 6 Moinul Road would cost Tk 350 crore at current prices, while 1.5-bigha Gulshan house Tk 50 crore.

Source: bdnews24.com

Comments

Add New

Write comment
Name:
Email:	We don't publish your mail. See privacy policy.
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.